Sri Lanka is on the mark to push adventure sports tourism, riding the country's geographical diversity following the conclusion of 'Raid Amazones 2009', an adventure sports event for women.
Raid Amazones, one of the world’s biggest multi sport adventure events for women was worked out in Dambulla in central Sri Lanka over the weekend, with foreign and local participants taking part in mountain biking, trekking and aqua sports.
"I m already thinking of organizing a new event, an adventure raid for everybody with more competition and harder than the Raid Amazones,” organizer of the race, Alexandre Debbane said.
"It will be about crossing Sri Lanka in about a week."
"It will be tough … may be next year. That’s what I m planning with my team," he said.
Over 250 women mostly from France took part in the sports adventure where they had to go canoeing in the Kandalama tank, a man-made reservoir, mountain bike a 40-kilometre route on hilly areas and trek 15 km to Kaludiya Pokuna, an ancient pond near Dambulla.
Organizers say Sri Lanka's diverse landscape has the potential for adventure sports tourism.
Raid Amazones’s organizing team had toured Kalpitiya in the north western coast of the island to assess the landscape for a new international adventure sports event.
"I m very enthusiastic about this because Sri Lanka is the perfect land to organize that," Debanne said.
"The views, lakes, hills and the people… every thing is magic here."
Sri Lanka's tourism promotion officials say adventure sports tourism is a niche market that can be exploited with the diverse landscape and peaceful environment in the country.
"This is a niche area that hasn’t been exploited yet," Dilip Mudadeniya, managing director of the tourism promotion office.
"Sri Lanka has a different landscape with mountains, rivers, lakes, flat land.
"Some of the areas in Kalpitiya (Northwest Sri Lanka) are ideal for adventure races and we need to get some events organized there," he said.
Tourism officials are upbeat about the media publicity generated by the Raid Amazones race in Europe and mostly France with radio stations in Paris giving live updates from Dambulla on the progress of the race.
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